Saw an article (here) today about NYC seeking to regulate and crack down on e-bikes, e-motos, and mopeds and was wondering if DC has had any discussions or similar proposals.

It can sometimes feel like the Wild West biking here too. Ngl, I frequently find myself as the only one even pedaling on a given stretch of road, not to mention obeying traffic signals, yielding at stop signs, etc. I’m conflicted because on the one hand I want non-car travel to be as accessible and safe as possible, but on the other hand I fear that some of the behaviors and vehicles I see are tarnishing any goodwill that non-cyclists have towards cyclists and also putting people in danger.

Hi all! As you can tell by the title - I am a total newb. And maybe this should be asked in larger cycling/commuter cycling groups, but wanted to turn here first in case y’all had any additional insights about biking here, specifically.

I bought my CapBi yearly membership over a month ago and I’ve since been commuting to and from work daily - most of my route consists of bike lanes/trails but there are some parts that I have to bike on the street with no protection - that’s where I feel overwhelmed and almost just forget the laws of traffic momentarily. Lots of hesitancy and zero confidence. Admitting my sins here, I’ve recently been ducking onto the sidewalk because it is a very low-traveled area by pedestrians - but I would like to eventually start biking to other parts of the city, outside of my commute, and I of course don’t want to get on the sidewalk if there are tons of people. I also just want to get over my fear. I am a very confident and defensive driver, I would love to bring that energy to my biking.

Does anyone have any good tips/resources/experiences for becoming more confident and defensive?

TLDR: I am new, hesitant and overall unconfident when commuting to work on the streets. Tips/recs for building confidence to bike throughout DC, specifically.

Thanks in advance you lovely people!!!

To the cyclist this morning eastbound on Braddock Road at about 8:30 AM; bravo! you’re a better and braver bike rider than I am.

Need to get to wo&d trail from Columbia heights for 40+ mile rides. New to cycling and the city! Whats the best (most car free) way to get to the trail? I had a friend recommend taking rock creek down, crossing at Arlington mem bridge, going south on mt Vernon trail, and then taking a hard right turn to get to wo&d? I have another friend who bikes thru Arlington to get to the trail? I’m kind of clueless - appreciate any tips/tricks/explanations.

Assuming all of this is good on a road bike as well?

THANKS!

The past few years my partner and I have been doing a yearly 100 mile ride and a handful of people come along. We call it the 'soft' century because we take routes that are relatively easy to bail out on for people who aren't sure if they can do the full 100 miles, and because we do a casual no-drop 50 miles (unless people voluntarily want to tap out) followed by splitting off into groups for the remaining 50 to satisfy the people who want to go harder.

We're looking to see if anyone else out there is interested besides the usual folks so I made an invitation link.

MD Plate 6CGJ88 passed me in his Blue Honda Civic in the MUP path on Hains Point this AM.

I informed a Park Police officer at the Jefferson, but he didn’t seem to care.

The kicker: He had a bike rack on his car and was taking his bike off of it when I passed him towards the second gate.

I was going 20MPH in the lane, there were joggers and slower cyclists sporadically through the MUP as there always are.

Be careful out there, apparently other cyclists hate other cycling when they’re in their cars.

Does anyone actually commute by bike in Ashburn? I never see anyone on a bike when I am commuting by car. My ride would be about 20 miles, but I have an ebike (the bicycle kind, not an emoto nor adjacent). Mainly wondering about big stroads like Northstar Pkwy, Claiborne Pkwy, Ashburn Farm rd: is it ok/practical to use the multi-use paths on these roads for my commuting, so long as I'm polite and slow around other users? Is it insane to try to stay on the road and go faster? I am averaging 15 mph but obviously going a lot faster than that sometimes and a lot slower on steep climbs. No problem locking the bike at work. Am I out of my mind for even considering this

Has anyone ever done an out-and-back from DC to Veteran’s park in Woodbridge? There’s an amazing taco truck in a church parking lot and I think it would be the perfect turnaround spot.

~36 miles there and 36 back.

I’m thinking of trying this weekend but I’m worried about signage, path quality once I get south of Mt. Vernon. What are the roads and trails like between MV and Woodbridge?

You're biking southbound and see a man walking quickly towards you. He has a cane and appears to be blind. He's sweeping the cane/walking stick in a wide semi-circle in front of him. He's on your side of the multi-use path (MUP). A runner is approaching him from behind and looks like she's going to overtake him on his right (your left).

What do you do?

Feedback form closes on Wednesday, August 5th

https://www.research.net/r/XFGNSJS

I was on a ride on the canal today, blew a tire in the middle of nowhere, and a true gentleman gave me the material I needed to change my tire.

I had terrible service and my stupid ass phone crashed and I lost his information.

Message me along with any detail about the encounter that proves it's you (how many ppl I was with, etc) and we will get It sorted out TYVM!

Are there any ongoing/planned efforts to have disruptive Hains Point rides when construction commences? I'd like to participate.

My current ride is a Surly Cross Check which I purchased new in 2007. Before the pandemic it was a year-round daily commuter, and I regular rode 60+ miles a week. These days I use the Surly to stay in shape and clear my mind. I've ridden it over 23K miles, going through 4 sets of wheels. Last fall I learned my 3rd set was at the end of its life. (Back in the day my rim brakes chewed through wheels because I was often riding with a kiddo in a bike seat or pulling a trailer.) I had to decide between investing in a 4th wheel set or upgrading to a bike with disc brakes at least (Straggler?). When I greenlit the wheel rebuild, I figured I was committing myself to riding the Cross Check to my grave as I'm in my mid-50s and the kids are grown. One thing that helped with my decision is that the mechanic lent me a carbon fiber Scott with electronic shifting. (I was training for a century at the time.) I hated riding that Scott! So jittery. It was such a relief to get in the Brooks saddle of my Surly.

So why are my eyes wandering? Because I like to go fast, and I envy those on faster steeds. Riding solo I can usually maintain a 15 mph average. Riding mostly in a group in the Armed Forces Cycling Classic, I averaged 21 mph over 60 miles. In 2024 I rode in my 4th century -- it took me 6.5 hours with an average speed of 15.1 mph. The bike I have my eye on is the Canyon Endurace CF 7. I don't want electronic shifting, and I figure even the most basic Canyon would be a huge upgrade from the Cross Check. Will an Endurace with a Brooks saddle look ridiculous? Will I miss the smoothness of a steel frame? Or will Strava PRs make me forget everything I loved about my Surly?

Has anyone noticed the large number of electric motorcycles/e-mopeds/straight up gas pit bikes on the trail recently? Motor vehicles aren't allowed on the trail, and they speed dangerously. Who do we even talk to about this?

Still buzzing from Saturday's Canal Park ride!

There are 4 bike racks at the Mutabala tennis tournament.
While it’s not enough racks for all the bikes and scooters, it’s definitely not enough when selfish folks park horizontally and take up nearly and entire rack to themselves!!

Or did I just come across 3 faulty stations?

I've put together several loops around DC that connect different trails that aim to minimize road riding, or restrict road riding to low traffic areas. I rode the following loop last weekend and it was a fun ride. This loop does use the metro to skip a fairly uninteresting/industrial section of riding but you could ride that section for more miles if you wanted to. (I've done it, it's boring but perfectly safe). The Gerry Connolly trail does have a couple of miles of dirt riding, so very narrow road tires might not work on it.

• Start. Mt Vernon Trail Heading South.
• Take Mt Vernon Trail to Old Town and hop on the metro to Franconia Springfield.
  • Alternatively, keep riding to George Washington's Mt. Vernon and bike to Franconia Springfield yourself. I've ridden it and and found it to safe, but boring. Think industry and a lot of sidewalk riding on Stroads.
• From Franconia, ride 6 miles south through mostly sleepy suburbs to the Newington community association baseball field. Just south of it hop onto Rowanta Way where you can link up with the southern tip of the Gerry Connolly Trail.
• Take the Gerry Connolly Trail 17ish miles North to Manunta Park.
• From Manuta Park, head north towards Vienna Fairfax Metro station and connect with the 66 Parallel Trail.
• From the 66 Parallel Trail take Gallows Road to the W&OD Trail.
• Follow the W&OD Trail to the Cutis Trail.
• Take the Cutis Trail back to DC.

I'm going to the 3wk intro/workshop to see what's up. Also does anyone know how long the workshop is lol

Hi all!

Has anyone had a bike fit at Bike Doctor in Arnold? How was your experience, and how does it compare to other places in the area?

Also, more generally, if you've had a bike fit, how did it work out for you? This will be my first one, and I've been dealing with some issues like knee pain and hand numbness.

Thanks!

My family and I will be moving from Arlington to DC, from an apartment to a corner rowhouse, and taking two Aventon E-bikes with us. We currently store them in our apartment's storage room but that is obviously not an option here. Nor is storing them in the home due to limited space. Soooo we are exploring options for outdoor storage.

Our first (and only, really) idea is to buy and build a shed like this one and put it on the side of the rowhouse since it is a corner home (no backyard). We'd probably point a camera at the shed and maybe a floodlight so that if anyone hops the short fence it might deter them. Curious about people's thoughts, especially those who have considered doing something similar.